


Games Agents Play

by Zephyrfox



Category: GoldenEye (1995), James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Agents need to be on their toes, Banter, Don't copy to another site, Flirting, Fluff, James Bond/Alec Trevelyan established relationship, James Bond/Q/Alec Trevelyan Pre-Relationship, M/M, Q is not oblivious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25433089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zephyrfox/pseuds/Zephyrfox
Summary: Alec Trevelyan doesn't do bored very well. At all. When chance gives him an opportunity to alleviate his boredom, he takes it.
Relationships: James Bond/Alec Trevelyan, James Bond/Q, James Bond/Q/Alec Trevelyan, Q/Alec Trevelyan
Comments: 18
Kudos: 155
Collections: 007 Fest Fancreations





	Games Agents Play

**Author's Note:**

> For 007 Fest 2020 Agent Day

With nothing better to do — he was on down time after a long undercover mission, with strict orders not to come into MI6 on pain of being forced to do his overdue paperwork — Alec Trevelyan had taken to wandering around London. James Bond, his usual partner in all things mischief, would not be back from his own mission for another few days, and Alec was, not to put too fine a point on it, bored out of his mind. Their flat was comfortable enough, but he knew that staring at the same walls day after day would quickly get on his nerves. That, and the psychiatrist who revoked his field status for the duration had recommended “refamiliarizing himself with everyday life.” Just because Alec had threatened to disembowel the man if he kept pressing about the way the mission had ended didn’t mean that Alec had _impulse control_ issues. So, each day for the last week, he’d picked a different area of London to explore in an attempt to find something that would be interesting enough to relieve his boredom. So far, nothing had.

...Maybe there was something to the idea that the agents had ADHD tendencies.

Today’s excursion brought him to Islington. The Parkland Walk had proved do be decent exercise at least, and the sculpture of the Spriggan had been interesting enough. It had reminded him of when he was a lad, drinking tea with his grandmother, as she told him tales from her own childhood in Cornwall. The Spriggan had even seemed to wink at him, although surely that was nothing but a trick of the light.

Now it was midmorning, and he was looking for something else to do. He almost regretted his choice of Islington — the crowds of people wandering around and going about their day were already growing. That and the heat of the day pressed in on him. His nerves twitched as he overrode his reflexes to attack when a civilian got too near. It wouldn’t do to get into trouble for maiming someone who had simply brushed against him in a crowd. But that was one of the reasons he was here, wasn’t it? To get used to being in friendly territory again. And “impulse control.” He growled under his breath. He was perfectly fine with being an assassin with overtrained reflexes. Kept him alive, didn’t it?

He stopped to look up at the silver wings soaring above the crowd in front of Angel Centre. Did he feel like going in? Or should he wander around the streets some more? A flash of light caught his attention before he could make up his mind and he turned, spotting a familiar figure in the crowd — Q. The sun’s light had glinted off his glasses as he crossed the street at an angle to Alec. 

James thought their Quartermaster was intriguing, Alec recalled, heading in the same direction without thinking about it. Up ahead, Q disappeared into a bookshop. By the time Alec reached a good vantage point with excellent loitering potential, he could see Q browsing the stacks through the store’s window.

Alec himself thought Q was… interesting. Possibly even, yes, intriguing. After all, he did want to know more. What about Q had intrigued _James?_

His partner wasn’t one to be so easily impressed.

* * *

After nearly an hour, Q finally emerged from the bookstore with a carrier bag full of books. At least four, Alec estimated, although there could have been a couple smaller ones on the top of the stack. He didn’t get a closer look because Q paused to take off the backpack he was carrying over his shoulder to put the bag of books inside. Maybe the backpack was a bag of holding, because the books hardly seemed to weigh the bag down at all.

Q slung the backpack over his shoulder once more and went into one of the other stores on the street. This one, Alec was intrigued to note, held a mix of old cassette tapes and vinyl records. The bookstore made sense — of course Q would enjoy books. Alec wouldn’t have thought Q would be interested in old music, though. Now, which format would he prefer? Vinyl or cassette? 

Alec loitered outside a shop a few doors up the street, contemplating whether it would be worthwhile to acquire a turntable to give Q as a gift. Just to see what his reaction would be. It didn’t help that when Q left the shop he only had his backpack, and Alec couldn’t tell if he had placed any new purchases inside it. 

From there, they went to a shop that sold what could only be knick knacks. Alec looked on, baffled, from the shelter of another doorway. _Knick knacks?_ Like the old bulldog James had inherited from their M? Those weren’t things you bought for yourself, they were things you bought to give to someone else. Maybe the Quartermaster had someone he was interested in? That was a troubling thought. Alec scowled. James wouldn’t be pleased. 

Once again when Q left the shop, Alec couldn’t tell if he’d bought anything. 

This time, instead of going into another shop, Q walked for a few minutes and turned onto another street. Here, he went into a few different shops, never staying very long in any of them. Alec frowned. Had Q realized he was being stalked? Surely not. 

His mobile buzzed. Alec pulled it out of his pocket and read the text. It was James. _Safe._ A subtle tension, so familiar that he'd almost forgotten it, bled away from his shoulders and left him feeling lighter. He tapped in his response: _playing follow the leader w/your q_

 _???_ James sent back.

 _Come and see,_ Alec typed with a mischievous grin, and sent his current location. James wouldn’t have texted that he was home if he had to stick around MI6. 

Q left the shop he was in and headed across the street. _Where was he going now,_ Alec wondered. He’d wait to see if he needed to text James a new location. It would take a while to get from their flat to Islington.

Two streets and three shops later — he’d texted James the new location — his mobile buzzed again. Wondering if James had somehow gotten lost, Alec checked the message and nearly dropped the phone.

_I’m hungry, how about you? If you are, you’re welcome to join me for a late lunch. The restaurant near the bookshop where you started following me._

Alec stared at the message from Q for a full minute in disbelief. Then his laughter bubbled up, out of control. Q had _known_ he was being followed! The entire time! 

* * *

Once he’d gotten himself under control, Alec checked the shop he _thought_ Q had been in. Naturally, the Quartermaster was nowhere to be seen. Shaking his head at himself, he headed toward the designated rendezvous after texting James the new plan.

It took only a few minutes to get to the restaurant. Cool air welcomed him as he walked inside. It was a cozy looking place with potted plants hanging along the walls. Q was sat at a table in the corner, back to the entrance. While Alec generally disapproved of that positioning for security reasons, he was relieved that he would have a seat allowing him to see all the approaches to the table. He paused, watching Q from behind.

The Quartermaster fiddled with the silverware, then picked up the menu — only to put it down again after a moment. _Was he nervous?_

Alec smirked as he crept up behind Q. Not trying to be overly quiet, but not announcing his presence either. “Come here often,” he asked, leaning over Q, his voice low and husky. He stayed there only a moment before he straightened and went around the table to the chair waiting there.

Q jumped, then chuckled. “I suppose I should have expected that,” he said with a wry grin. “Do you say that to all the people you chase around the city?”

Alec shrugged, giving Q a slight smile. “Normally I don’t say anything to the people I chase across the city. I just kill them.”

Q looked startled for a moment before a look of understanding crossed his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“I’m not,” Alec said, leaning back in his chair, projecting lazy confidence. He wanted to keep Q’s attention focused on him. “In those cases it’s usually going to be me or them, and I very much prefer it to be them.” 

A smile flicked across Q’s lips. “I’d prefer it to be them, too.”

“So would I.”

Q twisted around, face going slack with shock. “Bond? What are you —” 

James smirked at him and pulled over an unused chair from the next table. He sat between Alec and Q, and a moment later a waiter appeared with a third place setting. “Finished my mission early. I came home to find my Quartermaster nowhere near his branch, and my…” — James flashed a toothy grin at Alec that made his groin tighten with sudden need — “my Alec playing a children’s game.”

Q looked puzzled. “A children’s game?” His face reflected that he wasn’t sure if he should be offended at that.

Alec took pity on him. “Follow the leader. Tailing you across Islington.”

“I see.” A grin spread over Q’s face. “Did I win?”

“I’d say so,” James said judiciously. “From what Alec told me, you were onto him from the beginning. What do you want as your prize?”

Alec would glare at him — giving Q a metaphoric blank cheque might backfire against them — but he was also intrigued by what Q might say.

“I think… Yes…” Q nodded slowly, his brow furrowing in thought. Then he tilted his head, considering them. “I think I’d like a date. With both of you.”

A glance at James’ face saw it go blank, letting not a hint of what Alec very well knew was shock be seen. His own face, he hoped, showed only vague puzzlement. “A date?”

“Yes, you know what I mean.” Q frowned at him. “Two — or, well, more, I guess — people going out together. For a meal, or… something.”

Alec kicked James under the table and tilted his head at Q. He knew damn well that James was interested in Q, and here was ample proof that Q was interested back. In _both_ of them, which frankly Alec hadn’t been expecting.

Q noticed the byplay — and Alec should have expected _that_ — and said, “I, erm, thought you’d both be interested?”

James came back to life with a smirk. “We _are_ on a date, you know. Now.”

“So we are,” Q recovered with a smirk of his own, his hazel eyes sparkling. “And you’re paying.”

“But you invited us,” James shot back, rising to the challenge.

Alec sat there, hiding a smile. James could deal with this.

“Ah, but you said I won the game, _and_ that I could choose the prize.”

“And we’re the prize, are we?” James flashed a smug glance at Alec.

Q leaned forward, all calm certainty. “Of course you are.” 

It wasn’t often that Alec saw James quite that stunned at something someone else said. He picked up his menu and perused the offerings. He wanted something with lots of calories — he’d need the energy.

He had a feeling that dating Q would keep both of them on their toes.


End file.
